Enter China's Forbidden City

China has definitely awakened after years of sleep and although the Chinese culture is one of the oldest and now wealthiest countries, many people that live in Europe and North America are not aware of just how beautiful and rich China’s history has been. China has received plenty of publicity over the last few years as they hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics and more and more tourists have been heading over to China to see the many magnificent cultural landmarks and achievements. One cultural landmark that is absolutely breathtaking is China’s Forbidden City.

The Mystery of China’s Forbidden City
China’s Forbidden City is actually a huge walled palace that includes a variety of buildings and landscapes. For centuries the Forbidden City was a mystery and few people entered inside it. Being the seat of the Chinese Emperor, no one could enter or leave the city without his permission. As such, over the years the Forbidden City has become perhaps the most mysterious palaces in the world.

The Forbidden City was Completed in 1420
The Forbidden City was constructed and completed in 1420 by the Ming Dynasty and from this time to 1912, the Forbidden City was the seat of 24 emperors. The Forbidden City was built in Beijing (called Gung Gong at the time) and is on a parcel of land that spreads across 180 acres. The palace itself has an incredible 9,999 rooms and it took a labor force of 200,000 Chinese to build the palace in just a few short years from 1407-1420.

The Palace Grounds
The Forbidden City is surrounded by 32 feet high walls and there is another form of defense- a moat that is 165 feet wide. Inside the Forbidden City there are beautiful gardens and wonderful buildings. Inside this wonderful palace are thousands of priceless artifacts and works of arts. The entire palace is built from wood and since this poses a huge fire risk in addition, you can spot bronze cauldrons placed around the palace grounds that are filled with water- to put out any fires that may ignite. Being so beautiful and so unique the Forbidden City is now designated as a World Heritage Site.

Read More About the Forbidden City
For those that have always been fascinated with Chinese culture or if the Forbidden City intrigues you, the Smithsonian Magazine has put together a phenomenal article on the beauty and mystery of this Palace. You can read it today by visiting our main website located at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com

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